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Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X… the list of social media platforms seems to only be growing! Even though growing your social networks is a great way to grow your online presence as a whole, it can feel daunting to do so. Which social platforms should you use? How do you maintain it all? What type of content should you post? What’s the best way to manage all of this while wearing about 30 other hats within your small church?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed (or you weren’t but now you are because that was a lot of things you maybe hadn’t considered for long-term success), read on. We’ve got your back with 11 social media content tips that will help you feel like you can keep up with the best of social media managers without consuming your precious time. You can make an impact online without feeling like you’re drowning in a sea of memes and other responsibilities.
Before Anything, Identify Your Social Media Goals
It can be tempting to just make a page, slap your church’s logo or an image of your building in the profile picture slot, and get to cranking out content. However, before jumping into content creation, take a moment to define the purpose of your church’s social media presence. Are you trying to increase attendance at services, keep members informed, or reach new people in your area? Setting clear goals for your social media accounts will help you stay focused, create relevant content, and measure success. Knowing the “why” behind your social media posts will also help streamline the process.
Deciding on your goals for social media will also inform which platform(s) you should be on and what type of profile you should create. Different platforms have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, if sharing prayer requests among your church members is one of your goals, a private Facebook group would probably be the best way to connect and communicate. If you want to livestream your Sunday sermons (or share clips from the sermon), a YouTube channel makes the most sense.
The demographics of the target audience you’re trying to connect with make a difference in which platforms you use and how you use them, too. Younger generations tend to be on Instagram or TikTok, while older generations flock to Facebook. YouTube has the highest representation across all generations and demographics, but is limited to video content.
11 Social Media Content Tips For Your Small Church
1. Know Your Audience
Understand who you’re trying to reach. Is it current members, new visitors, or a specific demographic in your community? Tailoring your social media content to your target audience will help you create posts that resonate with them. If you don’t know what your target audience responds well to, ask someone who is that target audience! Get those you are trying to connect with involved in the connecting process. Teens have a different vocabulary and use different slang than older generations. They find different things funny. They find different things more meaningful.
People who have never stepped foot in a church before won’t understand “Christianese” and will benefit from hearing/reading/seeing words and concepts they’re already familiar with within the context of faith and church life. If your target audience is the unchurched, simply changing the word “fellowship” to “friendship” or “connections” can make a big impact on how well they resonate with what you’re posting. Knowing who you are trying to reach makes a big difference in what you post and what you say.
2. Choose The Right Platforms
We got into this a little bit when we were deciding on our goals. Not all social media platforms are created equal. Focus on the social platforms that your target audience uses the most. Facebook is great for community engagement and event updates, while Instagram might be better for sharing visual content. YouTube tends to block live streams and video content less than Facebook, so it’s a wiser choice for streaming services. All of this goes back to your goals and your target audience. Understanding where your audience is and what you want to tell them will save you time and help you get the best results because you won’t be posting where they aren’t looking.
3. Consistency Is Key
Create a posting schedule and stick to it. Consistency builds trust with your audience and ensures your church remains top of mind. Use tools like social media management apps to schedule posts ahead of time, allowing you to plan your content calendar without the stress of last-minute posting. It’s okay to have certain things that you post on the same day each week – this takes out the guesswork while ensuring consistency.
For our church, this looks like always posting a recap of the sermon on Monday and always sharing the songs we’re singing on Sunday (with an invitation to join us) on Fridays. By having these 2 “no-brainer” posts every week, it reduces stress levels and keeps the algorithms happy so they keep sharing our church’s content.
Other examples of “regular” posts that you can consistently share include a link to your livestream on Sunday mornings, a post asking how the church can pray for people, and an invitation to an upcoming event.
4. Post At The Best Times
Timing matters. When you reach 100 followers on a social media platform, you’re given insights into when your audience is active. Analyze when your target audience is most active on different platforms and post (or schedule posts) during those times.
If you don’t yet have 100 followers, or trying to find the analytics and insights feels outside your skillset, no worries – there are some general best times you can use to help get you started. In general, mornings and evenings tend to be peak times for engagement. This may vary depending on your audience, but the average person will check their social media when they wake up in the morning and again when they’re home from work or school.
5. Share A Variety Of Content
From blog posts to event updates, testimonials, or even inspirational Bible verses, sharing different types of content keeps things fresh. Videos, especially, are highly engaging on social networks and are easily consumed on mobile devices. Try a variety of types of content to see what is most engaging for your audience. If you need some ideas of what to post, here are 20 Best Social Media Post Ideas For Your Small Church – some are items you can post on repeat, others are best for a short period of time or as a one-off.
Within the variety of content, though, please remember that real is better than stock. If you have real images or videos of real people at your church, these will always do better than stock images. If you have real people posting real things, this will always resonate more than having AI write you something (though in a pinch, ChatGPT or other AI platforms can at least help you come up with some inspiration!).
6. Highlight Church Events And Programs
If you want people to know what’s going on in your church, you have to tell them about it! When you promote upcoming church events or recap things that have already happened, you’re giving a glimpse into what life is like at your church. It makes people excited to join in, which not only increases attendance, but it gives newcomers and potential visitors motivation to get involved. Even though hosting all the programs and events themselves won’t lead to church growth, the real, human connections that people make helps point them to Jesus and can lead to deeper connections to God and others. Social media radiates that impact by helping others know what they can be a part of.
If you have a bigger or more unique event, make an event page on Facebook for it! There are a large number of people who utilize Facebook events to look to see what’s going on around them this weekend. When you make an event instead of just posting about it on your page, it makes it easier for those who are unconnected to your church page to find out what’s going on because it’ll be shown on the events section of Facebook.
7. Engage With Your Audience
Social media is a two-way street. Engage with comments, respond to questions, and encourage members to share posts. Building a sense of community online encourages deeper connections and helps you create a more interactive experience for your followers. Additionally, when there are more comments, reactions, and shares on a post, the social media algorithms tend to boost those posts and put them in front of even more people.
That being said, it’s okay to not feed the trolls. Very rarely have internet debates led to heart change. If you have someone who posts something that seems like maybe they’re trying to get a rise out of you, it’s okay to not respond. If you feel like you need to respond, it may be wise to seek a way to have an in-person (or at least over the phone) conversation.
8. Keep It Visual
While having a variety of content is important, if the content you’re posting is text-heavy (such as with blog posts), still try to include images and videos that support your text. Visual content is often the best way to capture attention and stop the scroll. When you use high-quality images and videos in your posts, they become more engaging. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook prioritize visual content, so it’s an effective way to make your posts stand out.
As I said before, whenever these images and videos can be from “real life” (as in, actually taken at your church/event), they will perform much better than stock images. However, even a stock image can be better than nothing. If you have no pictures of any sort, you can always make something in Canva – they have a huge range of templates available for just about any concept, event, etc. you can imagine.
9. Share Stories And Testimonials
Personal stories have a way of connecting with people. Share testimonies from your church members or stories of how your church has impacted the community. Have interviews with people who serve at or with your church. These can be videos or a picture of the person/people with text. It can be an interview or a testimonial. When you share about the real people within your church, it brings authenticity and humanizes your church’s social media presence. It brings additional voices to the table.
The beautiful thing about social media is that it doesn’t have to be perfectly curated. It doesn’t have to have perfect color schemes. Real and raw are good. They’re okay. It’s okay for someone’s nerves to show when they’re on camera. There’s a reason #nofilter is so popular. We are imperfect beings who can still point to our perfect God – pimples and wrinkles and all!
10. Assume People Are Interacting From Their Phone
Most people access social media on their phones, so make sure your content is optimized for mobile devices. Assume that they are looking at your content on a 4-5 inch screen. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts, and ensure that your images and videos look good on small screens. If you put text on your images, limit how much you’re putting – keep to the basics then include the full information in the body of your text.
Especially if you’ve decided to do short-form videos (Facebook/Instagram reels, TikToks, or YouTube shorts), please note that each platform has slightly different parts of the screen covered by reaction buttons, captions, etc. Keep the really important stuff as much to the center of the screen as possible or be prepared to make slight adjustments to optimize for each platform.
11. Utilize Analytics
Track your performance by reviewing analytics on your social media platforms. Your church should be a business page, not a personal profile, so you’ll have access to all this information. Understanding which posts performed best will give you insights into what content resonates with your audience and will help you refine your social media strategy moving forward.
Some of it you may be able to see simply by noting which posts are giving you more notifications of shares, likes, comments, etc. but the analytics will go into more detail about impressions (the number of people who even saw your posts), the timing of when people were interacting, etc. The more you post and the more you grow your social media platforms, the more this information will be helpful to have the biggest impact on your church – both online and offline.
Make The Most Out Of Social Networks
Effectively managing social media for your small church doesn’t have to be overwhelming, complicated, or time-consuming. When you establish your goals, know your audience, and follow best practices, you can make the most out of social networks without spending hours creating content. Stay consistent, engage with your followers, and remember that even small efforts can make a big difference. Keep it up, and you’ll be sure to see the fruits of your labor as your church’s online presence grows, which can help your physical presence to grow as your audience feels compelled to connect offline, too! You’ve got this!
Read More:
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